1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a vehicular hands-free telephone system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for communicating information between a vehicular hands-free telephone system and a device external to the vehicle using a transceiver mounted on a garage door opener mounted in a garage as a communications gateway therebetween.
2. Background Art
A conventional hands-free telephone system for a vehicle enables an operator of the vehicle such as the driver to talk on a cell phone while using both hands for driving the vehicle during a cell phone call. Typically, the driver manually uses keys on the cell phone to access functions, other than when answering a cell phone call, making a cell phone call, or re-dialing a recently dialed number. Conventional hands-free telephone systems employ a voice recognition module which enables the driver to answer and make cell phone calls and re-dial numbers using voice commands. As such, the advantages of conventional hands-free telephone systems for vehicles are added convenience and safety.
Certain vehicular, hands-free telephone systems employ Bluetooth™ communications technology. Such systems include a vehicle appliance which is typically configured as part of the operating panel of the vehicle. The vehicle appliance includes a Bluetooth® communications module for wirelessly communicating with a Bluetooth® enabled cell phone located somewhere in the vehicle. The vehicle appliance further includes a voice recognition module and other input interfaces such as keypads and buttons for receiving voice commands and other input commands from the driver regarding the use of the cell phone. The vehicle appliance is further connected to the vehicle electrical bus architecture in order to output voice and display information through the vehicle's radio speakers and radio display screen.
The communications module of the vehicle appliance can also wirelessly communicate with the cell phone using Bluetooth® communications if the cell phone is external to the vehicle as long as the cell phone is located in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle, i.e., within the communications range provided by the Bluetooth® communications. As such, the communications module can wirelessly communicate with other Bluetooth® enabled devices which are external to the vehicle but located in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle.